Violet

It was another beautiful day here, but once again I had appointments! I found a few minutes late this afternoon to walk near the woods. That's when I saw my favorite wild flower, a tiny Woodland Violet. It was a little difficult to get a clear picture because the wind was blowing. Just finding and capturing it made me happy. For me it doesn't always have to be perfect.

This sweet Violet is also known as a Common Dog-Violet. It's called this due to its lack of perfume. The word "dog" is used because it was considered inferior to the Sweet Violet, a close relative, which is quite fragrant. It's scientific name is Viola Riviniana. That sounds a whole lot better! Thank you Google for that little bit of information.

There's just something special about finding the first Woodland Violet each year. It's really too early for them to be blooming. They usually bloom in April. I'm afraid they were fooled by the warm temperatures. Unfortunately, we'll be getting down around freezing with frost in the next few days.